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It’s as important as ever to support the amazing local restaurants we have in our beautiful city. And there’s no better way to do so than committing to patronize them throughout the year. I’ve composed a list of 52 amazing restaurants to guide you on your journey. Try just one of these every week and you’ll have visited them all by the end of 2025.
Sorella
2535 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., (414) 301-6255
sorellamke.com
Italian
$$$
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Amid its more casual, neighborhood restaurant feel, Sorella doesn’t scrimp on the details, offering a beautiful rustic dining room and a varied menu of shareable seasonal dishes inspired by Southern Italy and shaped with a bit of East Coast inflection.
One of the amazing things about Sorella's food is that it's perfect for any day of the year. Savory pasta brings comfort on cooler nights, while fresh vegetable dishes take on a particular magic when eaten al fresco on the patio as the sun drips down from the sky on a particularly hot summer’s day.
You’ll find a mix of ever-changing seasonal items, including big bowls of wood-roasted vegetables, pastas and wood-fired pizza along with compelling, moderately priced entrees unlike those served at any other restaurant in the city. That includes offerings like their Pizzeria Chop Salad, roasted vegetables (like green beans and shishitos with tahini, sesame and lemon), Arancini Carbonara and Duroc Pork Chop with sweet and sour peppers. The menu is built for sociable sharing, so don’t be afraid to order multiple dishes to split among a group of friends.
Recommended: Kale Caesar; Arancini; cavatelli with “Monday” sauce, Duroc Pork Chop
As a passionate champion of the local dining scene, Lori has reimagined the restaurant critic's role into that of a trusted dining concierge, guiding food lovers to delightful culinary discoveries and memorable experiences.
Lori is an avid cook whose accrual of condiments and spices is rivaled only by her cookbook collection. Her passion for the culinary industry was birthed while balancing A&W root beer mugs as a teenage carhop, fed by insatiable curiosity and fueled by the people whose stories entwine with every dish. Lori is the author of two books: the "Wisconsin Field to Fork" cookbook and "Milwaukee Food". Her work has garnered journalism awards from entities including the Milwaukee Press Club. In 2024, Lori was honored with a "Top 20 Women in Hospitality to Watch" award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association.
When she’s not eating, photographing food, writing or planning for TV and radio spots, you’ll find Lori seeking out adventures with her husband Paul, traveling, cooking, reading, learning, snuggling with her cats and looking for ways to make a difference.
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